Battery carrier



R. DYER BATTERY CARRIER March 11, 1941.

Filed April 3, i940 INVENTOR. BY 205/ Dye/ Patented Mar. 11, 1941 PATENT OFFICE.

BATTERY CARRIER Roy Dyer, S

prague, Wash.

I Application April 3, 1940, Serial No. 327,726

5 Claims.

This invention relates to a battery carrier and it is one object of the invention to provide a device of this character by means of which a battery may be lifted by its terminal posts and carried from place to place.

Another object of the invention is to provide a carrier having post engaging grapples connected by a looped strap serving not only as a hand hold but also as means for causing the 1 grapples to have such gripping engagement with the posts that they will be prevented from slipping out of engagement with the posts when the battery is lifted.

Another object of the .invention is to provide grapples eachof which consists of companion upper and lower plates formed with post receiving openings, the plates being slidable relative to each other into and out of gripping engagement with a post and adapted to be moved to gripping position by a yoke passing through slots in the plates and engaged by the strap or handle of the carrier.

Another object of the invention is to so apply the strap that when its upper flight is grasped,

pull will be exerted on yokes of the two grapples to shift plates of the grapples into biting engagement with the posts, the pulling force being continued when the battery is lifted so that there will be no danger of the grapples slipping out of engagement with the posts.

Another object of the invention is to provide a battery carrier which is simple in construction, easy to apply, and so constructed that a heavy battery may be easily lifted and carried.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the battery carrier.

Fig. 2 is a View showing the carrier applied to posts of a battery, the View being partially in side elevation and partially in section.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the upper plate of a grapple.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the lower grapple plate.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a handle engaging yoke carried by the plates.

This improved battery carrier consists, briefly, of a handle I extending between and carrying a pair of grapples 2 of such construction that when a lifting force is exerted on the handle, upper and lower plates or jaws of the grapples will be moved into gripping engagementwith the terminal posts 5 of a battery.

The grapples are of duplicate construction and each has its lower plate or jaw 4 formed with overhanging flanges 8 along its side edges which overlap side edge portions of its upper plate or jaw 3 to hold the upper plate in sliding engagement with the lower plate. The inner end portion I of the upper plate is bent upwardly to form an inclined shank, and this tongue or shank is formed with slots 8 extending longitudinally of the tongue and located adjacent opposite side edges thereof. These slots 8 are located over.

slots 9 formed in the inner end portion of plate 4 adjacent its opposite side edges and through the slots 8 and 9 pass the arms I!) of a yoke H.

The yokes are formed from strands of stiff metal and each strand is bent to form an upper cross bar .12 having depending portions I3 which are bent inwardly; as shown at M, and then downwardly to form the arms l0 which pass through the slots 8 and 9; Lower ends of the arms are bent inwardlyand have end to end engagement with each other to form a lower cross bar l5 which engages under the innerend portion of the lower plate between the slots 9 and limits upward movement of the yokethrough the slots aswell as serving as a fulcrum for rocking movement of the yoke. When the yokes are rocked toward inner ends of the grapples or clamps, the upper and lower plates are shifted longitudinally relative to each other and moved into gripping engagement with the battery posts 5 which pass through the openings I6 and I1 formed in the plates. Since the plates are formed of hard metal, they will bite into the posts and firmly grip the same so that the battery may be lifted and carried without danger of the posts slipping downwardly out of the openings and-allowing the battery to drop.

The handle I8 which is grasped in order to lift and carry the battery, consists of an endless strap formed of leather or other suitable material. This strap is threaded through the upper ends of the yokes about the cross bars I 2 thereof and when the upper flight of the strap is grasped and drawn upwardly, pull will be exerted on the upper ends of the yokes to tilt the yokes to the position shown in Fig. 2, and shift the plates or jaws of the grapples into gripping engagement with the grapples may be removed therefrom and the carrier put away until again needed.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. In a battery carrier, post engaging clamps each having upper and lower jaws formed with registering post receiving openings and being slidable longitudinally of each other into and out of position for gripping posts passing through the openings, a yoke tiltably carried by the lower jaw of each clamp and loosely passing through the upper jaw to engage the same and impart sliding movement thereto to shift the jaws to a gripping position when the yoke is tilted in one direction, and a handle extending between the clamps and connected with the yokes to impart tilting movement thereto and hold the jaws of the clamps'in gripping position when the handle is grasped and drawn upwardly to lift a battery.

2. 'In'a battery carrier, post engaging clamps each having' jaws for gripping a'battery' post and a jaw actuating yoke having an upper cross bar, and a handle consisting of an endless strap extending between the clamps and loosely engaged about the cross bars of the yokes and freely movable to present difierent portions of the straps in position for engagement with the cross bars, said handle serving to actuate the yokes and move the jaws to gripping position when the upper flight of the strap constituting the handle is grasped and drawn upwardly to exert pull upon its lower flight from opposite ends thereof and lift a battery;

3. In a battery carrier, post engaging clamps each having jaws for gripping a battery post and an actuating member tiltably mounted for movement into and out of position to hold the jaws in gripping position, and a handle consisting of an endless strap extending between the clamps and loosely threaded through the actuating members and freely slidable through the said members and serving to swing the actuating members toward each other and hold the jaws its lower flight and lift a battery.

4. In a battery carrier, post engaging clamps each having upper and lower jaws consisting of plates having registering openings formed therein, means holding the upper anld lower plates in slidable engagement with each other for movement into and out of position for gripping a battery post passing through the registering openings of the plates, said plates having their inner end portions formed with longitudinally extending slots and theupper plate having its inner end portion extending upwardly at an incline, an actuating yoke for each clamp formed with an upper cross bar and side arms, the side arms being offset inwardly intermediate their ends to form abutment shoulders disposed over the upper plate and the lower portions for the arms passing through slots of the plates, lower end portions of the side arms being bent inwardly towards each other and engaging under the lower plate for limiting upward movement of the yoke and serving as a fulcrum for the yoke, and a handle consisting of a strap extending between the clamps and engaged about upper cross bars thereof and adapted to impart tilting movement to the yokes to move the upper clamping plates of the clamps to gripping position when the upper flight of the strap is grasped and drawn upwardly to lift a battery.

5. In a battery carrier, post engaging clamps each having upper and lower jaws consisting of plates having registering openings formed therein for receiving posts of a battery, side flanges carried by one plate and engaging the companion plate to hold the plates in slidable engagement with each other for movement into and out of position for gripping a battery post passing through the registering openings, the upper plate having its inner end portion extending upwardly at an incline and formed with 1ongitudinally extending slots, an actuating yoke for each clamp having upper and lower cross bars and side arms, the side arms passing through the slots of the upper clamping plate and the lower cross bar engaging the lower plate to mount the yoke for tilting movement into and out of position for holding the plates in gripping position, and a handle consisting of a strap extending between the clamps and engaged about the upper cross bars of the yokes.

ROY DYER. 

